Mooring ropes are also known as mooring lines. They used to secure the hull when berthing and to transmit drag force when towing. An ideal mooring rope should have the characteristics of high strength, moderate elasticity, corrosion resistance, friction resistance, low density, soft texture, and ease of use.
When a ship is mooring, the number and method of using ropes should be determined based on the dock conditions, berthing time, weather conditions, tidal conditions, ship length, cable strength, etc.
Ropes can be divided into head line, stern line, fore spring line, after spring line, fore breast line and after breast line according to their different positions and functions during mooring.
Head line and Stern line: The head line is also called the pilot line. The function of the head line and stern line is to keep the moored ship as close to the dock shore as possible while preventing the ship from moving along the length of the ship. In order to better load and unload cargo and get on and off passengers, the lengths of the head line and stern line are generally fixed.
Fore spring line and after spring line: Fore spring line and after spring line are also called forward line and rear line. The fore spring line tilt toward the stern of the ship, and the after spring line tilt toward the bow.
Fore breast line and after breast line: The direction of the fore breast line and after breast line is roughly perpendicular to the longitudinal section of the ship. The main function of the cross line is to prevent the ship from moving laterally away from the dock.